A blog about the frustrations, adventures, brickwalls and ultimately rewards of someone searching for their origins. Some Irish (Shamrocks), Scottish (Shortbread) and Shenanigans (English) all mixed into one!

Sunday, 10 April 2011

I Dream of (Being A) Genie

You don't have to be mad to get into family history, but it helps!

Hello, and welcome to my first family history blog. I have begun this in order to share my experiences researching the origins of my main family lines, namely Arthur, Oxford, McNally, Doherty, Burton, McDonald, and Manson, and their migration to Australia in the 1800's.

What made me get into this hobby for the insane? For years, I had heard tales of my grandfather's involvement in 2 World Wars; how my great-grandfather was a sea Captain, who was murdered in the South Pacific; how I was "just like Aunt Nelly"; how my mother was terrified of dying of the same condition as her mother; how we came from Irish wealth and were disinherited, and so the stories continued.

After hearing these stories over the years, my curiosity grew until I decided to do something about it. Seven years ago, I made the decision to find out who I really was. Many hundreds, if not thousands of hours later, I have a much greater understanding of my family's journey, whilst some areas are just as murky as they were when I began.

I chose the title of my blog due to my three main areas of research, namely all of Ireland, Scotland, and several counties in England.

I intend to write about my family, how I discovered information through various sources, and what is still continuing to baffle me.

I hope that you enjoy reading of my experiences, and I truely welcome your suggestions and comments.